Bloggers for Freedom

Bloggers for Freedom
Photo via Beth Angsioco

I am grateful to all the  bloggers for agreeing or planning to sign the Bloggers for Freedom statement. …. We are happy and proud of this great community of freedom fighters! Initially 59 bloggers signed .. 91 more signed (as of January 20,2018 11:00 AM) or total of 150 signed and more to come … Bloggers from various communities like Travel bloggers , Mom bloggers , lifestyle bloggers , beauty bloggers , finance bloggers, photo bloggers , advocates , thought leaders have made a choice.

You can still be part of the “Bloggers For Freedom” by signing this form. http://bit.ly/bloggersforfreedom . We will vet the signatories as soon as we can.

Bloggers for Freedom

Here is the statement of  “Bloggers for Freedom”

We concerned Filipino bloggers stand for the rights to free expression and to free speech.  And our first responsibility is to protect these rights.

We thus stand with Rappler, its right to exist, the rights of its working journalists and contributors, and the rights of its community of readers.

We stand against moves to silence and scare journalists, bloggers and media practitioners just because the President and his ardent supporters dislike their news and views.

Now is a time for making choices amid battles between truth and lies, debate and dissonance, democracy and dictatorship. We sign our names here to tell everyone we have made a choice. We are bloggers for freedom.

 

Those who wish to sign the statement can sign in this form http://bit.ly/bloggersforfreedom

“Ipapakita natin sa taong bayan ang ating kasalanan. Ipapakita natin sa taong bayan ang dahilan kung bakit tayo pinaparushan ng president – ang paguulat ng katotohanan…. “Ito ang dahilan kung bakit kinikitil ang Rappler.”

Let this statement be a good start for our communities to discuss what’s happening. Let’s keep in touch for the next steps we would all agree to take. The fact remains: “Why can’t the president and his supporters accept criticism and dissent? Why not address the criticisms and listen to dissenting voices? Why do they harass, threaten, bully and falsely charge them?”

See, I may not always agree with Maria Ressa , Rappler and even other media outfits  but I stand with journalists, bloggers and media practitioners. They play a very important role in our democracy.

There were more speakers at the #BlackFridayForPressFreedom

Bloggers for Freedom
Malou Mangahas: The freedom of the press is deeply attached with the people’s right to know.
Mae Paner: Kung papayag tayo na kitilin ng ating pangulo ang ating karapatan sa pamamahayag, anong klaseng bayan tayo? Sino ang kikibo?

Bloggers for Freedom

Those who wish to sign the “Bloggers For Freedom” statement can sign in this form http://bit.ly/bloggersforfreedom